1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a disk device which can play a minidisk (MD) used in cartridge stored form and a compact disk (CD) used as a single disk not stored in a cartridge.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 1 to FIG. 3 show a conventional disk device as disclosed for example in JP-A 7-220355. In the figures, reference numeral 301 denotes a sub-base supporting a spindle motor 303 and an optical pickup 305. 304 is a first turntable which is fixed to the spindle motor 303 and which rotates a minidisk (MD) 312 stored in a cartridge 311. 306 is a second turntable which is retained with a play on a retaining member 302. 308 is a clamp which is retained with a play on a clamp holder 307. 310 is a guide member which guides and retains the cartridge 311.
The retaining member 302 is retained with a buffer with respect to a housing 314. The sub-base 301 is adapted to be raised and lowered in response to fixed modes. The clamp holder 307 is adapted to approach and be separated from the retaining member 302 in response to fixed modes.
The operation of the conventional disk device will be discussed below.
When a minidisk 312 is played, firstly as shown in FIG. 1, the sub-base 301 is raised by the operation of the raising or depressing motor (hereafter elevating motor) 315 when a cartridge 311 is inserted into the guide member 310. The first turntable 304 is displaced to a position abutting with a fixed clamp area of the minidisk 312, that is to say, the position as shown in FIG. 3. In such a position, the minidisk 312 is rotated and played by the rotating spindle motor 303.
When a compact disk (CD) 313 is played which is used as a single disk not in a cartridge-stored state, the compact disk 313 is inserted into the gap between the retaining member 302 and the clamp 308. Thereafter the sub-base 301 is raised by the action of the elevating motor 315 until the first turntable 304 is in a position abutting with a fixed clamp area of the compact disk (CD) 313, that is to say, the position as shown in FIG. 2.
At this time, a depressing operation is performed on the clamp holder 307 and the second turntable 306 holds the compact disk 313. The guide member 310 performs a lateral refuging operation in order to create a space to allow the elevation of the sub-base 301. After the completion of this series of operations, the compact disk 313 is rotated and played by the rotation of the first turntable 304 and the second turntable 306 which is engaged with the first turntable 304 due to the rotation of the spindle motor 303.
FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 show a conventional disk device as disclosed for example in JP-A 9-231654. In the figures, 321 denotes a base mounting an optical pickup 325 and a spindle motor 323. 324 denotes a first turntable which is fixed to the spindle motor. 326 is a second turntable which is retained with a play on a retaining arm 322. The retaining arm 322 is retained to rotate freely on a shaft 327 fixed to the base 321 and is retained to slide freely in a perpendicular direction. 328 denotes a gear section which is formed on the retaining arm 322. The gear section 328 transmits the drive force of the drive motor 329 through the gears 330, 331. 332 denotes a triangular cam provided on the base 321. A boss 333 is formed on the rear face of the retaining arm 322 opposite the triangular cam 332.
The operation of the conventional disk device will be described below.
When a compact disk is played, the compact disk is loaded onto the second turntable 326 which is loaded onto the first turntable 324. The compact disk is held on the second turntable 326 by a clamp (not shown) and the spindle motor 323 is rotated to perform the playing operation.
When a minidisk is played, a drive motor 329 is rotated when the insertion of a cartridge is detected. That rotational force is transmitted through the gears 330, 331, 328 to rotate the retaining arm 322 in the direction designated by the arrow Y. Together with this rotational operation, as shown in FIGS. 5(a)-(c), the second turntable 326 which is retained on the retaining arm 322 separates from the first turntable 324 while rotating. The boss 333 elevates along the inclined face of the triangular cam 332. After the boss 333 passes the apex of the triangular cam 332, the retaining arm 322 is depressed to refuge rotation and stops at a position which prevents planar interference with the cartridge.
Since the conventional disk device is constructed in such a manner, when playing either a minidisk or a compact disk for example, in the former example of a conventional disk device, the problem has arisen that the width of the device can not be downsized since the first turntable 304, the second turntable 306 and the clamp 308 are layered vertically.
Furthermore when raising operations for the second turntable 326 are performed in conjunction with rotation operations on the retaining arm 322 in the latter example of a conventional disk device, the possibility exists that accurate separation and linkage of the engagement section will not be realized as a result of the centering of the first turntable 324 and the second turntable 326. Furthermore the problem has arisen that the highly accurate engagement section may be damaged due to the turntables 324, 326 being on an angle when linking or separating.
Furthermore the problem has arisen that the latter example of a convention disk device can not be downsized as the second turntable 326 is refuged to a position which does not interfere in a planar direction with the cartridge of the minidisk which thus increases the dimensions of the device with respect to depth.
The present invention is proposed to solve the above problems and has the object of providing a disk device with reduced dimensions with respect to height and depth and which enables accurate loading and separation of a second turntable.
The present invention has the further object of providing a disk provided with a simplified driving mechanism for a second turntable.
The present invention has the further object of providing a disk device with reduced dimensions with respect to height and depth which ensures refuging of a CD clamp arm and CD adapter arm into the device to a position not impeding a loaded minidisk and, in particular, by refuging the CD clamp arm and CD adapter arm to displace below a loaded minidisk.
The disk device of the present invention enables the reduction of dimensions of the device with respect to height and depth in a disk device having a first turntable which supports a first disk which is stored in a cartridge and which transmits a rotational force to this first disk, a second turntable which can be loaded onto and separate from the first turntable, which supports a second disk which is not loaded in a cartridge and which transmits a rotational force to the second disk and a spindle motor which rotates the first turntable wherein the disk device is characterized by a retaining arm which retains the second turntable with play, a first shaft which supports the retaining arm to reciprocate vertically so that the second turntable is loaded onto and separates from the first turntable and, a second shaft which supports the retaining arm to rotate and refuge in a planar direction.
The disk device of the present invention enables accurate loading and separation of the second turntable by the provision of a first drive plate which is driven when a first disk is loaded, an arm raising means which raises the retaining arm in a first operational period after the initiation of the first drive plate and which separates the second turntable from the first turntable and an arm rotation means which rotates the retaining arm in a planar direction in a subsequent second operational period of the first drive plate and which refuges the second turntable to a position which does not impede the playing of a first disk.
The disk device of the present invention enables the downsizing of the device with respect to the dimensions of height and depth and enables the accurate loading and separation of the second turntable by the provision of an arm depression means which depresses the retaining arm and which refuges at least a section of the second turntable to a position lower than a first disk after the retaining arm has been rotated in a planar direction and. the second turntable has been refuged to a position which does not impede the first turntable.
The disk device of the present invention enables the simplification of the drive mechanism of the second turntable by the provision of a clamp arm which retains the clamp which pressures and holds a second disk on the second turntable, a third shaft which is formed on an end of the clamp arm at a position which approximately corresponds to the second shaft of the retaining arm and engaging sections provided on the retaining arm and the clamp arm which mutually engage when the retaining arm is raised.
When the case-stored recording medium disk loading mechanism draws a case-stored recording medium disk to a fixed position in the device and loads the disk onto a turntable, the disk device of the present invention is adapted to comprise a drive plate which displaces in a linear direction, a case-stored recording medium disk loading mechanism which draws the case-stored recording medium disk to a fixed position and loads the disk onto a turntable due to the displacement of the dive plate, a non-case-stored recording medium disk loading mechanism which loads a non-case-stored recording medium disk taken up to a fixed position in the device onto a turntable and which supports the non-case-stored recording medium disk clamp and the non-case-stored recording medium disk adapter respectively to displace vertically and rotate, a cam mechanism which layers the non-case-stored recording medium disk clamp and the non-case-stored recording medium disk adapter together due to linear displacement of the drive plate, a depth displacement mechanism which, together with the displacement of the drive plate, displaces the non-case-stored recording medium disk clamp and the non-case-stored recording medium disk adapter layered together by the cam mechanism in an inward direction of the device which does not impede loading of a case-stored recording medium disk onto a turntable, and a refuge mechanism which displaces and refuges the non-case-stored recording medium disk clamp and the non-case-stored recording medium disk adapter, which are displaced into the device by the depth displacement mechanism, in a direction lower than the case-stored recording medium disk loaded onto a turntable. Thus dimensions with respect to depth and height can be downsized, the non-case-stored recording medium disk clamp and the non-case-stored recording medium disk adapter can be layered together and displaced into the device by the linear displacement of the drive plate and furthermore can be displaced and refuged lower than a case-stored recording medium disk.
The disk device of the present invention initiates linear displacement of the drive plate due to an insertion operation of a case-stored recording medium disk inserted through the disk insertion/ejection mouth and loaded onto a case-stored recording medium disk holder into the device. Thus dimensions with respect to depth and height can be downsized, a non-case-stored recording medium disk clamp and non-case-stored recording medium disk adapter can be raised above the turntable and displaced into the device due to linear displacement of the drive plate which is initiated by insertion of a case-stored recording medium disk and furthermore can be displaced and refuged lower than a case-stored recording medium disk.
The disk device of the present invention is provided with a cam mechanism which raises the non-case-stored recording medium disk adapter upwardly and which layers the adapter together with a non-case-stored recording medium disk clamp due to the linear displacement of the drive plate. Thus dimensions with respect to depth and height can be downsized and the mechanism for raising the non-case-stored recording medium disk clamp and non-case-stored recording medium disk adapter above the turntable can be simplified.
The disk device of the present invention is provided with a cam mechanism comprising a cam face forming section and a projection. The cam face forming section is formed on the drive plate performing linear displacement. The projection is provided at a position which can abut with the cam face forming section in proximity to the base of the non-case stored recording medium disk adapter arm on the tip of which the non-case stored recording medium disk adapter is formed. Thus dimensions with respect to depth and height can be downsized and the mechanism for raising the non-case-stored recording medium disk clamp and non-case-stored recording medium disk adapter above the turntable can be simplified.
In the disk device of the present invention, a depth displacement mechanism is provided with a pin formed on the drive plate which performs linear displacement and a guide hole which engages with the pin. The guide hole displaces the non-case-stored recording medium disk clamp and non-case-stored recording medium disk adapter, which are layered together by the linear displacement of the drive plate, into the device and is formed in proximity to the base of the non-case-stored recording medium disk adapter arm. Thus dimensions with respect to depth and height can be downsized and the mechanism for displacing the non-case-stored recording medium disk clamp and non-case-stored recording medium disk adapter into the device can be simplified.
In the disk device of the present invention, the non-case-stored recording medium disk loading mechanism is provided with a first arm support member which supports the non-case-stored recording medium disk clamp to displace vertically and rotate and a second arm support member which supports the non-case-stored recording medium disk adapter to displace vertically and rotate and which shares a rotation shaft with the first arm support member. The refuge mechanism has an outer displacement body which displaces towards the disk insertion/ejection mouth from within the device at the end of the linear displacement of the drive plate and a cam flap which displaces towards the disk insertion/ejection mouth from within the device due to the displacement of the outer displacement body and which lowers the position of the rotation shaft shared by the first and second arm support members. Thus dimensions with respect to depth and height can be downsized and it is possible to refuge the non-case-stored recording medium disk clamp and non-case-stored recording medium disk adapter by the linear displacement of the drive plate to a position lower than case-stored recording medium disk loaded onto a turntable.